Bad news,,,Gypsy's computer conection with the forum is not working at present ...So,,,In the meantime she will email it to me and I will post it for her.So...here goes (sounds like shes enjoying herself........**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Menindee Lakes was the destination for today and they were quite unbelievable and flooded beyond imagination. Disappointing in that all but one of the Drives were closed and even some of the campgrounds…..why you ask…..because they are all under water!! The water is right up to the road in some places. Must have been a bit scary at some point.....maybe it still is!!

For a bit of history on Menindee……it was the first town on the Darling and Burke and Wills camped here on their ill fated journey in 1860. There are orchards in the area which is somewhat surprising when you see the terrain. The town of Menindee is quite deserted these days with lots of closed shops but boasts a population of 851, though not sure where they all live or work.

Weather was a bit bleak today so decided not to camp at Menindee and moved on to Silverton.

Will be doing the tourist thing in Silverton tomorrow as there is much to see here. Topping the list is the Mad Max museum and Mundi Mundi Plains where many of the car chase scenes were filmed as was Priscilla Queen of the Desert and A Town Like Alice and a visit to Umberumberka Reservoir. I hear that there is also a great little café here with quandong pies and great home made scones so will make sure to have a morning tea break there as well.

Life is not about how hard you can hit, but how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.

Still no joy for Gypsy Stevo...no worries though,,,she can atleast keep us up to date like this ....She sure knows how to hang out at all the hot trendy spots...lol****************************************************************************************************************************

Sunday 5 June Update.

WOW……What a day we have had today. First off it was out to see the Umberumberka Reservoir which is full to the brim and probably beyond. The water came down with such force that it washed the roadway down the creek.

Next stop was the Mundi Mundi Lookout where one can see literally for miles and miles. In fact you can even see the curvature of the earth from here as you overlook Mundi Mundi Plains. You can see this in the attached pic.

Back into town to have a look at the Old Gaol Museum and might I say it was the best value ever at $3 a head. So much memorabilia and preserved history of Silverton and the surrounding area in there; you could almost get lost for a couple of days.

Next stop, the Coin Carvery where the owner makes jewellery from mostly old pennies and then dips them in gold…….cost for one of these was $175. He had the most fascinating dog there….she sat constantly looking at a ball hanging from a rafter and she never took her eye off it.

The Mad Max Museum was the next port of call, complete with replicas of the rather famous Interceptor used in the Mad Max 2 film which was filmed on location here in Silverton in 1981, 30 years ago last month.

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome was filmed out Coober Pedy way and on Moon Plains but that is another story yet to be told.

Fury Road another sequel to MM is due to be filmed here in February 2012…..no Mel Gibson though. Apparently it had to be postponed because the countryside is too green!!

The Silverton Pub was the next place to see with yet another Interceptor replica and more MM pics as well as pics from Dirty Deeds, A Town Like Alice, Razorback plus numerous TV adverts that have been shot here on location. It seems to be a very popular place for shooting films etc.

The original Interceptors are in Keswick in the UK.

The Silverton Pub has had several name changes over time in order to play the appropriate part in many productions….see attached pic.

By this time it was getting quite late in the day but still had a visit to the local historical cemetery….bit disappointing too. Strange in that they encourage visitors to the cemetery and yet it is overrun with weeds and shows little care. It had been closed for many years but has been reopened for locals in recent times. It takes up some 40+ acres.

Bit excited here tonight…….it is only the second night that I have seen the moon since I left home, last night being the first. I was beginning to think that it had been left back in Qld…..

It sprinkled rain a little last night but not enough to be of concern….in fact the day turned out to be a really lovely one weather wise. Overnight temp last night was 8ᴼ…….very mild after a rather bleak and cold day yesterday.

Tomorrow, we move on……not sure where or what the next stop is at this point though we are heading in the general direction of Peterborough in SA……stay tuned!

............................................................................................................................................Monday 6 JuneThis morning we did a tour of the historical underground mine, Daydream Historical Mine just east of Silverton which was established in 1882. We were taken down some 100 feet to the third level and given the history of how this mine had operated and how mining had changed over the years. The talk was given by an ex miner which made it much more interesting. I reckon that it is now making heaps more money from tourism than it would as a working mine. Apparently the silver content at this mine was far richer than Broken Hill. Estimated it would generate at least $1000 per day with tourism and with far less effort.

Have crossed the border into SA and camped at Mannahill in a rest area. Heading into Peterborough tomorrow.

Overnight temps were down a bit last night, down to 3.3 degrees and I suspect it may be colder tonight.

Camped here next to another 2 Qlders.....small world when one is traveling.

Ciao...

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Life is not about how hard you can hit, but how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.

Bob started life as a stray in 1883 and began traveling trains first with his owner and then on his own. He jumped on and off the trains at his whim and made many interstate journeys including the trams and the steamers on the Murray. He traveled far and wide and was a legend in his own life time, passing away in 1895.

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Walgett is the location of these Scarred Trees which are now housed in a cage on the western edge of town. These trees were relocated to here from their original site which was near where the new Dangar Bridge was built in 2003.

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No visit to Bourke is complete without a visit to the local cemetery to see the grave of Fred Hollows (see attached pic) or the Crossley Engine..

A Twin Cylinder Oil Fuelled Stationary Crossley Engine has been restored to its former glory. Located at the northern end of Sturt Street, Bourke, in the Wharf Area is a fully restored 1923 vintage Crossley Oil fuelled Stationary Engine. Manufactured by Crossley Brothers of Manchester in England it is a fine example of the early four-stroke diesel type engine, which followed on from the steam engine era. This type of engine will run on any heavy or viscous type oil. Large engines such as this one were used in many applications such as electricity generation, water pumping and factory machinery operation. The engine has a capacity of 124 BHP at 260 RPM, weighs 16 tonne, is water cooled and is started by compressed air. Over the years more than 100,000 Crossley oil and gas engines have been built and it is a testament to their quality that many of these are still in use to this day. This particular engine was originally used from 1923 to 1938 in the Sydney Power house to generate electricity for Sydney. It was later used in the Allowrie Butter Factory from 1938 to 1949 to generate electricity and then at a Narromine property from 1949 to 1964 to pump water for crop irrigation. The engine was donated from Narromine in 2001 and was fully restored to working condition by Bourke Shire Council in 2002.

Bourke was the commencement of the Darling Run….down the eastern side to Louth. Here in the local cemetery is the memorial to Mary Matthews. Mary was the wife of the founder of Louth, Thomas Matthews. This memorial is an emotive structure in the form of a Celtic Cross which is 7 meters high and made from polished granite. It is said that on 19 August (the anniversary of her death) the sun reflects from the cross to the front door of the spot where their house once stood. This monument is not only a testament to their love and devotion but also the accuracy of navigation of the times or so the story goes.

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